TY - JOUR AU - E. Sugumaran, M.V. Radhakrishnan* and PY - 2010/07/31 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Effect of Sugarcane Bagasse on Growth Performance of Hereropneustes fossilis (Bloch.) Fingerlings JF - Journal of Experimental Sciences JA - JES VL - 1 IS - 1 SE - Life Sciences DO - UR - https://updatepublishing.com/journal/index.php/jes/article/view/1685 SP - AB - <div style="border-right: medium none; padding-right: 0in; border-top: windowtext 1pt solid; padding-left: 0in; background: white; padding-bottom: 0in; border-left: medium none; padding-top: 1pt; border-bottom: medium none; mso-element: para-border-div; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 0in 0in 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: ";Tahoma";,";sans-serif";;">The present investigation has been conducted to evaluate the effect of sugarcane bagasse as an artificial substrate on growth performance of <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Heteropneustes fossilis</em> figerlings for a period of 120 days. Sugarcane bagasse bundles (Length 50 cm; diameter 4cm) of 5 kg were hung in large cement tanks (5x5x1 m) with 15 cm soil base with well water <span style="color: black; letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">in </span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">6 of the 9 tanks randomly at the rate of 5 kg each, by suspending the bundles at regular </span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">distances from bamboo poles kept across the tanks. </span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">Fingerlings of <em>H. fossilis </em></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">(av. wt. 3.15 g) were stocked at 40 per tank two weeks after the </span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">addition of manure and substrate. No feed was provided to the fish in 3 of the substrate-added tanks (T<sub>1</sub>), while a pelleted diet </span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">was fed to the fish in the remaining 3 substrate-added tanks (T<sub>2</sub>) and the other 3 </span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">tanks without substrate (T<sub>3</sub>). </span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">Individual fish in each </span><span style="color: black;">tank were weighed at the start and every 14 days to monitor growth response and feed utilization. Water quality parameters (dissolved oxygen, <span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">pH and ammonia) were also monitored. </span>Fish growth <span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">performance and nutrient utilization were determined </span>for fish Mean <span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">weight gain (MWG), Specific growth rate (SGR), Protein </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">efficiency ratio (PER), Feed conversion Ratio (FCR), Protein intake (PI) and fish Survival rates (SR %). Fish </span>carcass was also analyzed for crude protein, lipid and ash <span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">in all treatments at the </span>end of 120 days. </span>The weight gain of the fish showed a significant response. Specific growth rate showed a high value in bagasse and supplemental feed group (T<sub>2</sub>) followed by sugarcane bagasse alone used group (T<sub>1</sub>). The feed intake value is more or less similar in all the three groups. PER and FCR values also showed high in substrate + supplemental feed group. The survival rate value recorded maximum in T<sub>1</sub> group. In fish carcass composition, the dry matter showed the order T<sub>2</sub>>T<sub>3</sub>>T<sub>1</sub>. Crude protein and lipid values are more in substrate alone added group (T<sub>2</sub>), but the ash value is more in T<sub>1 </sub>group. These results showed that sugarcane bagasse can effectively be use as a substrate for the culture of the catfish<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Heteropneustes fossilis.</em> </span></p></div> ER -